SCHOOLS REQUIRING BACKGROUND CHECKS

SUSAN HOURIET; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Along with his request Monday for an application to do substitute teaching in Bristol, Peter Nye was handed a stack of paperwork including a set of blank fingerprint cards and a form asking if he'd ever been convicted of a crime.

Despite the extra work it will take to fill out the forms and the $48 fee for a background check, Nye said he understood the process was necessary.

"I don't have a problem with it," said Nye, 21, who was released from the Giants football team this month and plans to substitute teach before returning to professional football next summer. "If I was a parent sending my kids to the public schools, I would want it done.

"I guess if my record wasn't clean I would have a problem with it," he said jokingly..

As of July 1, the state requires that all new school employees submit to a state and national criminal record check. But because the state police cannot process all the background checks before the teachers report to work, the Bristol School Department has developed a policy that would allow it to fire teachers who lie about their criminal past.

The school board will consider the policy Wednesday night.

The policy, developed by school lawyers and already in use, requires the 20 new teachers hired since July 1, substitute teachers and other new employees to sign an affidavit stating whether they have ever been convicted of a crime and whether they have any criminal charges pending against them.

They are advised that falsification of the form or omission of any information is grounds for firing.

William E. White Sr., director of personnel, said new teachers had been understanding about the new law and that no teacher has revealed any criminal record.

"It's something that would be helpful, even if it does involve more paperwork," Superintendent of Schools Edward J. Maher said of the law, which was prompted by East Hartford school officials who wanted authority to fingerprint employees.

The school system requires new employees and those applying for substitute teaching jobs to pay the $24 fee for a background check.

Since Nye plans to apply in Bristol, Farmington and Plainville, he will pay $48 to the Capitol Region Education Association for a one-time criminal history check that can be used by 34 central Connecticut school systems.